The EASIEST Winter Craft EVER!

You I've been wanting to make Borax Snowflakes forever. I wouldn't have put it off this long if I'd know HOW STINKING EASY IT IS!

Now, I did already have the Borax and pipe cleaners on hand but even if you don't that's a pretty short shopping list.

You simply use the pipe cleaners to twist up some snowflakes. 

Hang them inside a wide-mouthed jar. I didn't even use string.  I just kept one end of the pipe cleaner long and bent it around the pen I was using to hang it over the top of the jar. 

You boil one cup of water (or however much it takes to submerge your snowflake) and mix in 3 tablespoons of borax per cup. 

Let set overnight and BAM! crystal snowflakes!

You could use colored pipe cleaners. You could use food coloring in the water. The possibilities are endless, but the craft itself is SIMPLE!

So, how does it work? From Steve Spangler Science:

"You put a bunch of pipe cleaners that had been twisted into a snowflake shape into a solution of borax and water. How in the world did it turn into this beautiful crystal snowflake?

When you mixed the borax in with the water, you created a suspension. A suspension is a mixture that contains solid particles large enough to settle out. By mixing the borax into hot water, instead of room temperature or cold water, the borax stays suspended longer within the water.

As the borax begins to settle out, or sediment, it begins to crystallize. You’ll see this crystallization on both the bottom of the jar and, you got it, on your snowflake. The borax continues to sediment on top of the snowflake and on top of other borax crystals until you pull it out of the water the next morning."

Enjoy!

How to make snow cream

When life gives you snow, make snow cream! For those of you who are just getting introduced to snow via the magic of climate change, let me walk you through how to make this delicious icy treat.

First, gather your ingredients: snow (surprise), milk, vanilla, and sugar. Some zealots out there use heavy cream. Then, there is always Paula Deen ready to take it to the next level with sweetened condensed milk. However, I'm a purist and prefer plain old whole milk.

I think it's easier to mix individual servings. In my experience, if you try to make a big batch you inevitably have a ton of quickly melting snow cream and the freezer is of absolutely no help to you. So, scoop your snow into a bowl and sprinkle about two spoons full of sugar and a splash of vanilla to taste. Mix in the milk until you have your desired consistency and ENJOY!

Trust us. We've got lots of snow cream experience. 

Falling Leaves Craft on The Happiest Home

Two years ago, I shared one of my favorite fall crafts on one of my favorite blogs The Happiest Home. To celebrate the beginning of autumn, I thought I'd share it here as well! 

It's a GREAT kid's craft with all things kids love - mainly making a "mess" with paint and paper! Only this time, the mess in channeled into an adorable craft!

We’ve all seen various handprint trees on Pinterest. However, on a recent visit to my best friend’s house I noticed a new twist on this old falling leaves craft stuck to her refrigerator door. My friend’s son has special needs and his awesome behavioral therapist Heather had added “falling leaves” (in a clear, sealed plastic bag – no mess!) and taken this traditional tree to a whole new level.

I knew immediately it would be a huge hit with my three-year-old son Griffin and we tackled it as soon as we got home.

First, we painted our hands red, yellow, and orange and made hand prints for the leaves of the trees.

Next up, we made the “falling leaves.” Heather had died pasta red and yellow to create her leaves. However, I am not as creative as Heather (read: I am lazy) and decided to harness my son’s mess-making ability by letting him tear and cut up little pieces of construction to make his leaves.

While he was making the falling leaves, I cut out our handprints and two basic tree trunks out of brown paper. My son helped me glue the handprint leaves to the tree trunk and then we taped them to the front of a clear ziplock bag.

He then put all his “falling leaves” in the bag and VOILA! two beautiful autumn trees with leaves falling down in between.

My son loves making the leaves “fall” over and over. I loved making a fun and easy craft that took less than 30 minutes and required no special supplies!

How to make ice chalk pops

Many of you have asked for ideas on how to keep kids entertained. We had a blast recently with this craft I first saw on Reading Confetti so I thought I'd share. It's basically half cornstarch, half water then however much food coloring you want to add. I did it a little bit different by letting Griffin add the food coloring to the individual pop containers and then just pouring in the chalk. You can tell by the separation that he might have gotten a little carried away so use this approach at your own risk!

Fun (and educational) Snow Day Activities

Between the polar vortex and winter storm currently reeking havoc across the Midwest, families are facing many more snow days than they expected. Movies and board games only get you so far before you and the kids begin pulling your hair out. Try some these instead!

1. Snow Experiments There is lots to be learned about snow. From temperature to climate, take this chance to teach your kids about what temperature things freeze or how quickly depending on the item. Not to mention, there are fun things to make from snow ... like snow cream! Here's a roundup of other experimental ideas!

2. Snow Flake Comparison We all know every snow flake is unique but there's nothing like a snow day to really explore the magic of snowflakes in depth. Take a dark sheet or dark piece of paper outside with a magnifying glass. Have your little one capture snowflakes and compare and contrast their differences. 

3. Snow Library Collect all your winter-themed books and have a frosty read in. Ezra Jack Keats's The Snowy Day. Caralyn Buehner's Snowmen at Night. We all have a few snowy classics on our bookshelves. OR you could switch it and find all your books featuring sunshine and warm sunny days to warm you on on a cold snow day. If you'd like to explore some classics on the screen, this a great roundup of movies and shows available streaming online based on children's classics. 

4. Selective Screen Time Not all screen time is bad! There are a ton of amazing websites that offer learning resources like Khan Academy where your child can learn for free about math, art, computer programming, economics, physics, chemistry, biology, medicine, finance, history, and more! If your child is interested in computer science, Codecademy is a great place for them to start exploring that passion in more detail. 

What are your favorite snow day activities? Any classic wintery books you'd like to share? Leave a comment!

---